Happy Lutheran

Today, Oct. 4th, is the Feast of St. Francis, the day on which many congregations have a Blessing of the Animals Service. It was a beautiful morning here at Wartburg Seminary, where we had our own service, and it was fantastic–dogs, cats, and even one very sweet bunny [MoMo!]. It was a joyous celebration of our God, who loves ALL creatures God has made, and both empowers and invites us to love them, too.

Our beloved animal family members were with us in the service [in person and on zoom], but through them, we also remembered all those animals who don’t have a home, who are abused and neglected, and those animals world-wide who suffer through the human-caused loss and pollution of their habitats and homes. We lamented and asked for forgiveness, and asked God to continue to inspire us in the work of making God’s love real throughout the world, for all God’s creatures.

Make no mistake: this, too, is the work of the church, inspired by the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Here are a few excerpts from my homily this morning.

In many ways, the Blessing of the Animals service stands on the margins of the church’s life.  For many Christians, I’m sure the very idea of bringing animals into one’s ecclesial life seems odd:  what does the church have to do with animals, anyway?  Many Christians, I think, view this service as an indulgence, an aside, an asterisk to the central mission and work of the church:  it’s the very definition of “marginal”—peripheral, negligible, fringe.

We have good company at the margins, of course:  it’s where Jesus spent most of his time, and did some of his best work.  Part of the larger picture of “reversal” that we see in the Gospel narratives about Jesus’ ministry is the shift of focus from the center to the edges, and an inversion of the place of importance. Jesus hung out on the fringes of society—with the outcasts, the overlooked, and the undervalued.  He took his stand and made his place with those deemed “non-essential” to the health and well-being of the community; and, in the end, he staked his life on their worth in the eyes of God.

So, when we here at Wartburg Seminary have this Blessing of the Animals service, we, too, offer a public witness to society about what we value, and where we see our place. 

By our presence here today we proclaim not only our love but God’s love for all of God’s creatures, for all of God’s creation. Today we take our stand with those creatures who too often are undervalued, abused and neglected.  Today, as the body of Christ, we move from the center to the margins—or better, we move the margins to the center, practicing a little Christ-like “reversal” of our own,

We don’t have to do a Blessing of the Animals service but I’m so glad that we do, because it not only reminds us of God’s love and care for the whole wide world, but it also reminds us that what we do on the margins has the power to transform the center, testifying to the vision of the Kingdom of God we have been shown in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ; a vision of harmony, peace and justice for all, a vision where there are no margins at all, only a big fat center where everyone is welcome—two feet, four feet, no feet; wings, fins and flippers.  Thanks be to God.